


No Regrets

by Perfect_Insanity



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Daryl Dixon Smut, Daryl Dixon fluff - Freeform, Daryl Dixon in Love, F/M, Protective Daryl Dixon, Romance, daryl dixon - Freeform, the walking dead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-05-28 20:20:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15057029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Perfect_Insanity/pseuds/Perfect_Insanity
Summary: The group reaches a new community and Daryl meets one of the members. They instantly hit it off but they're both hiding secrets of their own.





	1. Chapter One

The group had been travelling for weeks. They were low on water, completely out of food and were losing their spirit. They were lucky enough to meet Aaron, who would change their lives forever by bringing them to a community where they would have shelter and food and they could almost feel normal. Of course, not everyone was on board with this new community offered to them.

Daryl Dixon wasn’t used to such a clean cut community. This kind of place would’ve shunned him just a few years ago before the world went to hell. So he wasn’t exactly going to try and keep up appearances like the others were doing. He would sit on the porch and cut open the possum he’d killed earlier like he always did without a care in the world.

As Daryl cleaned up the bloody mess he made, a young woman approached him, though she wouldn’t go up the steps onto the porch. Daryl didn’t acknowledge her at first but noticed she had a laundry basket in her hands. But she had noticed him looking at her and saw that as her cue to speak.

“Welcome to Alexandria,” she said, “My name’s Mia. Deanna has some of us going around and giving these to all of you. I think Jessie dropped one off to your friend, Rick.”

“Thanks,” he grunted.

“Could I…ask your name?” Mia added.

“Daryl.”

“I…I’m sorry,” Mia said, “I’m totally rude I can see you’re busy. I’ll just leave this basket here.”

“Thanks,” Daryl repeated. As Mia bent over to set the basket down beside him, he looked up and was met by the largest pair of greenish-blue eyes he’d ever seen with long eyelashes and wavy brown hair that brushed her shoulder. She froze before setting the basket down once their eyes met.

“So that’s what you look like,” she said, laughing as she looked back down at the basket, “Deanna’s throwing a party tonight in honor of your arrival. You and your friends, I mean. Do you think you’d wanna come?”

“Doubt it,” Daryl muttered, “Not my kinda scene.”

“Giving this place a chance wouldn’t kill you,” Mia replied, “You should come, Daryl.”

He shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll think about it. We done here?”

“Yeah, guess so,” Mia mumbled, her arms rested on her knees as she squatted in front of him. Her brows lowered a bit, “You’re not really a people person are you?”

“Ya know, there are more of the group inside,” Daryl said, “Why don’t you invite them to this little party thing?”

“Sure, sure,” Mia sighed as she stood back up and tucked her hands into her pockets, “I hope to see you there tonight, Daryl. Deanna is really hoping all of you will show up.”

“Said I’d think about it didn’t I?” Daryl grumbled. He stood up with his torn apart possum in his hand, “Gotta get goin’ now. Thanks for…for the basket.”

Mia gave Daryl a genuine, warm smile that reached her eyes, a smile that Daryl wasn’t used to seeing from someone who had just met him. He kept her at arm’s length and still she didn’t get frustrated or scared off by the dead animal and its blood all over his fingers. And oddly enough, he found it easy to make eye contact with those blue-green orbs but he wasn’t sure what to make of her.

“You’re welcome,” she said, “If I don’t see you tonight, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Right,” Daryl said. At first, he had been lying to Mia when he said he’d consider going. But now something in him was making him actually want to go to this stupid party. What kind of power did this girl have over him within five minutes of speaking?

Daryl watched Rick and the others get all dressed up and leave for Deanna’s house but he couldn’t bring himself to get that fancy. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure he would even go. What did that girl want him there for anyway? Rick and the others were there, the ones who were willing to clean themselves up and smile for everyone.

“You sure you’re not gonna come with us?” Glenn said, his arm wrapped around Maggie’s waist.

“Nah,” Daryl muttered, “I dunno…I guess…probably not.”

“Deanna would be disappointed,” Maggie said.

“That’s what Mia said,” Daryl retorted, “But why would I care?”

“Oh, Mia’s a nice girl,” Maggie said, “You should give her and the rest of the people here a chance. It could end up working out for you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Daryl grunted. Maggie and Glenn exchanged shrugs and left together followed by Rick, Michonne, Eugene, Noah, and Tara, who proceeded to ask him the exact same question as Glenn and Maggie. It had been at least an hour, maybe two before he finally gave in and left the house to make an appearance at this party. Whether it was to shut the group up or make Mia happy he wasn’t sure, though he was leaning more towards shutting his friends up.

“Looks like he’s not coming,” Mia remarked, sighing heavily as she peeked through Deanna’s curtains, hoping that Daryl would be walking towards the house, “That’s a shame.”

“You seem pretty disappointed for someone you barely even know,” Deanna said.

Mia shrugged, “I don’t know. I remember being alone when I showed up here for the first time. Guess I just wanted to make sure he felt welcome, ya know?”

“Well, maybe you can go to him instead of waiting for him to come here,” Deanna said, “Take some of this food over to him.”

“That’s a pretty good idea,” Mia said. She grabbed a plate and filled it with all kinds of food, grabbed a bottle of beer and was out of the house. As she walked down the steps, she noticed a familiar figure making his way towards the house.

So Daryl Dixon wasn’t as stubborn as she thought.

“Oh, hey,” Mia said. She laughed nervously as she held the bottle and plate up, “I didn’t think you were coming so I was gonna bring you some food and a drink. You wanna come inside and eat it?”

“Damn, that’s a lot of food,” Daryl said.

“I just wanted to give you a little of everything,” Mia replied, “So? You wanna come inside or not?”

Daryl shrugged, “I dunno.”

“We don’t have to go inside just yet,” Mia said, “We can sit on the porch for a while until you’re ready to go inside if you want.”

“Sure.” Daryl followed Mia back up the steps and they sat on the porch swing. Mia set the plate down on his lap and tucked the beer in between them, her hands rested on her thighs as she watched him eat. 

“So, what do you think of this place so far?” Mia inquired, “It’s nice, right?”

“I guess,” Daryl said, “It’s shelter.”

“It’s not so bad,” Mia said, “I was all alone before Aaron brought me here. It was scary being surrounded by people I didn’t know.”

“Please,” Daryl scoffed, “Look at ya. You fit right in.”

“Not really,” Mia said, shrugging, “I understand you and your group more than you think. I was out there for a long time before Aaron found me.”

“Don’t work out for everyone,” Daryl said.

“Only because some people don’t let it in,” Mia argued, “You’re safe here. You could have a life here. You should let yourself be happy.”

Daryl stood up, picking up his beer and plate and nodding towards the front door. There was no way he’d be having a conversation this deep with Mia. If she was trying to get him in the door, she’d succeeded, “I’m gonna go inside.”

“Perfect,” Mia said. She took him by the arm and he felt her freezing hands through his leather jacket. She was eager to get him inside and introduce him to everyone. Initially, it was extremely uncomfortable but it felt nice to have someone say nice things about him as Mia was doing now. And it seemed like she meant everything she said. But why would someone like her be so kind to him?

Daryl could only stand the social setting for so long but he held out as long as he could until he finally told Mia he needed to get back home. She’d been talking to Spencer and it appeared that he had some kind of interest in her. Daryl wasn’t the best at noticing flirtatious behavior but Spencer was more obvious. He’d expected Mia to just say good-night and then continue her conversation with Spencer.

“Hey,” Daryl said. Mia leaned over to get a good look at Daryl standing behind Spencer, “I’m gonna call it a night.”

“Oh!” Mia stepped away from Spencer, “Let me walk you home then. I was just about to head back home and go to bed anyway.”

Mia left Spencer behind and walked out with Daryl. He glanced at Spencer over his shoulder and let out a chuckle, shaking his head. Mia turned, raising her eyebrow and started laughing with him, “That’s the first time I’ve heard a laugh out of you all night. What’s so funny?”

“Nothin’ it just looked like Spencer was into you,” Daryl said, “Looked like the feeling was mutual and ya just ditched him.”

“No, the feeling wasn’t mutual,” Mia said, “Spencer’s a nice guy but I only see him as a friend.”

“Okay, so then you ditched your friend just to walk me home,” Daryl retorted, “Why?”

“Maybe because I wanna be friends with you too,” Mia said, “Is it so hard to believe that someone actually likes you and wants to be friends?”

Daryl shrugged but didn’t answer her question. He stayed quiet until they reached the house. She walked up to the door with him and leaned against the wall as he opened the door.

“I’ll probably see ya tomorrow,” Daryl said.

“Doubt it,” Mia replied, “I’m going on a run tomorrow. Your friends Glenn and Tara are coming along too. You’re welcome to join us if you’d like.”

“Nah, gonna let you give all this energy to everyone else,” Daryl said, “Can’t hog it all, can I?”

“Right,” Mia said, “Well, hopefully I catch you sometime tomorrow. And don’t forget what I said, Daryl. I mean it.”

Mia went down the steps, tucking her hands in her jacket pockets, surprised to hear Daryl call after her, “Forget what!”

She turned, opening her arms with a big stupid grin that almost made Daryl smile right with her but he refrained from doing so, “Let it all in! Let yourself be happy, Daryl!”


	2. Chapter Two

“When are we gonna let this go?” Daryl grumbled, pressing his palms against his eyes and rubbing them in small circular motions, “It ain’t that big a deal.”

“Someone actually convinced you to go into a social gathering,” Carol said, “I’d say that’s a pretty big deal.”

“It ain’t,” Daryl repeated, “Just decided to stop by for a little bit.”

“A little bit just so happened to turn into a few hours, right?” Carol argued with a giggle, “I think you’ve got a soft spot for that Mia girl.”

“It’s nothin’ like that,” Daryl muttered, chewing on his thumbnail as he always did when he got nervous or uncomfortable, “And this conversation is over now got it? Don’t wanna hear any more of this soft spot bullshit.”

Carol parted the curtains and looked out the window as she heard a lot of commotion coming from outside. She grinned and tapped on the glass with her fingernail.

“Look, it’s your soft spot walking by,” Carol said.

“Goddammit,” Daryl grumbled, although he made Carol burst out laughing as he got up anyway and leaned over her shoulder to get a look out the window. 

“I think you’re smitten.”

“I think you’re full of shit.”

Daryl scoffed as he watched Mia stop in the middle of the street as Glenn and Tara joined her, Nicholas, and Deanna’s son and Spencer’s brother, Aiden. Mia turned her head to say something to Aiden but stopped when she caught Daryl looking at her. There was a bit of satisfaction for Daryl as her cheeks turned red and waved at him. Why he had that feeling? He had no clue. But he wasn’t about to sit there and ponder the reasons why. He gave her a short wave and quickly walked away from the window while Carol snickered.

“What’s so goddamn funny?” Daryl snapped.

“Oh nothing,” Carol said, closing the curtains once more and sitting cross legged on the windowsill, “You’re just in denial that’s all.”

“Oh fuck off,” Daryl groaned, “She’s a good kid but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Someone’s getting defensive,” Carol teased, “Shouldn’t fight things like this. It’s not healthy. Just a thought.”

“Yeah,” Daryl grunted, “Don’t you have some stuff to do?”

“I do, I just figured I’d throw some advice out there before I left,” Carol replied, “Mia’s really sweet you should get to know her. Here, I’ll start you off. Next time you guys have a chance to talk, why don’t you ask her where she’s from or what she did before all this? Simple questions.”

“That shit still matters?”

“It might to her.”

“You should get going,” Daryl said. Carol patted his arm, shrugging as she headed out of the house. Once she was gone, Daryl took a peek out the window again to catch a glimpse of Mia walking out of the gate with Aiden, Nicholas, Glenn, and Tara. He realized what he was doing quickly and shoved himself away from the window, thinking of what Carol had said about fighting this…whatever it was. He scoffed as he stormed into the kitchen, “Whatever.”

Not much time passed at all when the five of them returned from their run. It had been maybe four hours, four and a half. Glenn was walking ahead of the group, fuming. The commotion attracted the attention of a few others, including Rick and Daryl.

“What’s wrong with him?” Daryl asked Mia.

“Aiden got under his skin,” Mia murmured, “And now he doesn’t think Glenn should be going on runs and Glenn doesn’t think Aiden should be going on runs and it’s just a mess. Got into a little scuffle with some walkers on top of it all.”

Daryl looked at her up and down, suddenly noticing the smeared dirt on her knees and pieces of twigs and leaves stuck in her hair, “Yeah I can tell. You alright?”

“I’m okay,” Mia said, pulling a leaf from her hair, “More embarrassed than anything. I was fighting one off and I tripped over a root. Sprained my ankle and everything. But I’m okay.”

“Should probably wrap that ankle up,” he said, “Where’s the first aid?”

“That’s really sweet of you, Daryl,” Mia replied, “It’s in the infirmary. I’ll take you there, come on.”

Mia and Daryl barely took two steps forward when things escalated between Aiden and Glenn. Aiden swung at Glenn, which he easily dodged and knocked Aiden down to the ground. Nicholas instantly jumped forward and lunged at Glenn.

“Hey!” Mia shouted, coming towards Glenn and Nicholas despite the swinging fists, “Nicholas stop it right now!”

Mia grabbed his shoulders and lightly tugged. Nicholas ignored her and continued swinging, throwing his elbow too far back and hitting Mia right in the face. The accidental hit sent Mia to the ground with Aiden and it made Glenn snap out of it as he rushed to her side.

Daryl tackled Nicholas within seconds, his large hands wrapped around Nicholas’s throat. All the noise and screaming was enough to bring Rick and Deanna out from their houses. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rick exclaimed. He ran for Daryl and wrapped his arm around him, trying to pull him away, “Can we not do this now?”

Rick managed to pull Daryl off of Nicholas as Deanna struggled to calm everyone down. Glenn was helping Mia back onto her feet and she avoided eye contact with Daryl as he approached her, holding her now bloody nose.

“Good news is I don’t think it’s broken,” she said, “Probably gonna gonna end up with a black eye. Come on, I’ll show you the infirmary.”

“That asshole elbows you in the face and you’re not mad about it?” Daryl said.

“Well, you kinda handled the anger for me I guess,” Mia said, “You were so quick too. But anyway, it was an accident. Glenn’s right, Nicholas and Aiden are totally clueless about going out there but Nicholas has never been malicious.”

Mia pointed to one of the houses that had been converted into an infirmary and Daryl walked her inside, “How the fuck can you possibly see the good in everyone?”

“You ask me that like it’s easy,” Mia said as she sat down on the bed, watching Daryl grab tissues and ace bandages.

“Lean your head back,” Daryl instructed as he pinched her nose lightly with the tissues. He kneeled down on one knee and carefully took off her boots and her socks. Keeping his eyes focused on the bandage wrapping around her ankle, he continued, “Figured it had to be easy.”

“It’s not,” Mia said, “But it was sweet of you to come to my defense so…thank you. And thank you for helping me.”

“Sure,” he said. He finished bandaging up her ankle and patted her leg to let her know it was time to lower her leg. He stood up and took the bloody tissues, handing her clean ones. It gave him a chance to meet those blue-green eyes. He could spot the beginnings of a black eye forming underneath her right eye but he stopped himself from commenting on it. Instead, Carol’s advice from earlier popped into his head, “So uh…what um…what’d you do before the world went to shit?”

“Oh, nothing exciting,” Mia replied, “I was a party planner. I was close to opening my own business but then…ya know…the world ended.”

“Wow,” he grunted, “Startin’ to see why you’re good with people. You’re good at fakin’ it.”

“What, you think I’m pretending to like you?” Mia said, “Because I genuinely like you, Daryl. I really do think you’re a good man. Is that really so hard to believe?”

Daryl shrugged, turning to walk away from Mia, “I dunno.”

“Hey,” Mia said softly, grabbing his wrist. She gave him a light tug so he would turn back around. He turned but he stared at Mia’s boots on the floor by his feet. Mia stood up, keeping her weight off her left foot as she made him lift his head, “You are a good man. And that’s the truth.”

A part of her felt guilty as Daryl was visibly uncomfortable so she let go of his wrist but she refused to let him break eye contact. Daryl finally spoke, gesturing to the bed, “You should sit down, keep off that ankle. I’m gonna get you a rag so you can wash all that blood off your hands.”

Mia obliged, taking a seat on the bed, “Thank you, Daryl.”

“No need to thank me,” he said. He couldn’t believe this one woman was making him feel so strange. And he still didn’t have the slightest clue what to do with her. And no matter how much he kept his guard up, she still fought her way in. How much longer could he fight it before she would destroy that wall he’d protected himself with?

After cleaning Mia up, she put her shoes back on and he walked her back to her house. They got a few looks but Mia didn’t seem to notice or care. Daryl tried to be as indifferent towards it the she was but who could ignore dozens of people staring at you?

“Don’t mind them,” Mia remarked once they were on her porch, “They’re all just intimidated by your group. Especially with Glenn and Aiden fighting earlier, everyone’s a little scared of you guys.”

“Me choking the other one wasn’t helpin’ either was it?” Daryl muttered.

“I guess not,” Mia giggled, “But who cares? I thought it was a thoughtful gesture. You wanna come inside?”

“I don’t think I should,” Daryl said.

“It’ll be fine,” Mia insisted. She opened the front door and stepped inside, turning to look at him over her shoulder until he gave in and followed, “I’m sure you’re hungry. I could make us some dinner. I’ve been craving Italian food. What do you think? A little spaghetti, a little wine. Sound good?”

“Sounds fine to me,” Daryl said. He followed Mia into the kitchen and sat down at the table while she gathered ingredients together. He watched her fill a big pot with water and set a lid on top of it.

“Just gotta wait for the water to boil,” Mia said. She reached up in her cabinets and grabbed two wine glasses and the bottle sitting on the counter. Taking a seat next to Daryl, she poured him a glass of wine and slid it in front of him, “Normally I’m not a fan of red wine but you take what you can get.”

Daryl nodded, “Can’t be picky these days.”

He was mostly silent while Mia made dinner. He just sat there and watched her graceful movements. Even with a limp her movements were smooth. He found that he could watch her all day and he would be content.

And that’s when it hit him.

It was possible that Carol was right. But he wouldn’t use the word “smitten” like Carol had. It was possible that he just had a little crush on her. Acknowledging that fact made him cringe but he also knew that it wouldn’t last long. Knowing that Mia would never see him as anything but a friend maybe that easier on him. He would move on from this. He was certain this was nothing. Nothing at all.


	3. Chapter Three

The food was good and Mia was one of a few people who could get Daryl talking. Or maybe it was just the wine loosening his tongue. In any case, things felt so normal for the first time in his entire life. He hadn’t experienced anything like this even before the world fell. He’d never sat in such a beautiful dining room having dinner with wine and casual conversation. And he never thought he’d wanted any of that until he met Mia.

“Hey, are you sure you don’t wanna just sleep in the extra bedroom?” Mia asked as she finished washing the pot she’d boiled the water in, “I mean, I know you’re not driving but still.”

“Nah,” Daryl replied, slurring a little as he tipped his glass back and swallowed the last of his wine, “Not that long of a walk.”

“Yeah I know,” Mia said, turning around and drying her hands on her dish towel, “But you look so tired.”

“I ain’t tired at all,” Daryl argued. Mia chuckled and approached him, taking the glass from his hands and setting it aside. Daryl’s eyelids were heavy but he stubbornly forced them open.

“Is that right?” she said. She pushed his hair off his forehead, looking into his blue eyes and smiling at the redness in his cheeks. He was becoming too tired to fight her on the subject. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him to his feet, “Come on. I’ve got an extra bedroom that hasn’t been slept in since I got here. It’s very, very comfortable.”

Daryl groaned, “I can walk home, Mia. It ain’t that big of a deal.”

“Just relax,” Mia retorted. She brought Daryl upstairs and he grudgingly allowed her to lead him. Though he attempted to continue going straight down the hall, she turned him to the first door on the left. The bedroom was bare, just a bed with white and turquoise bedding and a dresser. Mia did mention that she didn’t use this bedroom so Daryl expected it to be plain. For it being an untouched bedroom, she did maintain it rather well as there wasn’t a speck of dust to be found and there wasn’t even a pillow out of place on the bed.

Mia stopped him and started getting the bed ready, moving the decorative pillows to the dresser and pulling back the comforter. She fluffed the pillows and then approached Daryl again, “You’re okay with sleeping in your clothes?”

“Not like you have anything that would fit me,” he said.

“I have something that might fit you,” Mia replied, “Some old sweatpants. They belonged to someone I used to travel with but I’ve washed them so they’re clean.”

Daryl wasn’t sure why even in his tipsy head, the thought of Mia travelling with a man annoyed him. He pushed the thought out of his mind and shook his head, “Nah. I’m good sleepin’ like this.”

“At least take this off,” Mia said. Before Daryl could ask her what she meant, she was standing behind him pulling his leather jacket off of him, her fingertips grazing his skin slightly as she pulled the jacket down his arms. Her fingers were cold but he didn’t mind it as the alcohol had warmed him up more than he would’ve liked. She urged him forward, “And your shoes.”

“I can take those off myself,” Daryl said, taking a seat on the bed, most likely making the white sheets filthy with the dirt and dust all over his pants. Mia didn’t say anything so he continued, unlacing his boots and kicking them off his feet. Mia picked his boots up and set them down next to the dresser while Daryl laid down on the bed, resting his arm over his forehead.

“You just go to sleep,” Mia said softly, resting her cold hand on his forearm as she pulled the comforter over his body, “You could use the sleep after all you’ve been through.”

Daryl looked down at Mia’s delicate hand on his arm, a silver bracelet catching his eye. It wasn’t so much the bracelet that got his attention but the fact that there was something engraved on it. But it was dark and he wasn’t able to focus as much as he normally would.

“What’s that?” he asked, nudging the bracelet with his finger, “What’s it say?”

“Hm?” Mia looked down at the bracelet and she pulled away, running her finger over whatever was engraved on it, “This? This is nothing. Just someone I used to know. Now go to sleep.”

Mia’s usual cheerful demeanor had faded as she stared at the bracelet, twisting her wrist so the moonlight would bounce off of it. Daryl wasn’t sure what the hell was on that bracelet but he knew it couldn’t be good. He didn’t have much time to think about it as his body refused to let him fight sleep any longer. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was Mia leaning forward and kissing his forehead and he was too tired to suppress the smile on his face as sleep took him.

The sounds of sizzling followed by the strong smell of eggs woke Daryl up the next morning. Other than a slight headache and a bad case of bedhead, he felt alright. He sat up in bed, kicking the comforter off his body and throwing his legs off the side of the bed. He groaned as he stood up and grabbed his boots, following the smells coming from downstairs.

As he walked down the stairs, he saw Mia in the kitchen, her hair tied up in a bun that was drooping from sleeping in it all night. His heart fluttered a bit at the sight of her in a light purple spaghetti tank top and white pajama pants. Her skin was smooth and tan from months of exposure to the sun and when the morning light shone through the window, it hit her in just the right way that made his gaze linger. 

Mia looked up as the staircase creaked and she smiled as she cracked an egg onto the hot pan, “Morning! Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah,” he replied as he came the rest of the way down the stairs, “Thanks for um…letting me…ya know stay here and stuff.”

“It was no problem,” Mia said. Her black eye was a lot more prominent on her face now, having darkened and puffed up her eye a bit. But it didn’t take away the smile on her face. She lowered her head, realizing quickly that Daryl had noticed, “It’s not as bad as it looks. Just gotta put some ice on it after I’m done here.”

“Still can’t believe that asshole did that,” Daryl muttered.

“I already told you it was an accident,” Mia said. She gestured to the table with her head as she flipped the eggs, “Now sit down. There’s some toast on the table. I thought it might help your stomach if you were feeling nauseous.”

Daryl picked the slice of toast on the top of the pile on the serving plate sitting in the middle of the table, “Thanks. Guess I took it too far last night, huh?”

“You were fine,” Mia giggled, “A perfect gentleman.”

Sitting at the table, Daryl had a side view of Mia and his eyes wandered more than intended, stopping at her waist. Her tank top had ridden up a little, her pants hugging her wide hips. Daryl cleared his throat loudly and took a large bite of his toast.

“Right,” he grunted.

“Your friend, Rick stopped by earlier,” Mia remarked, “He wanted to make sure you were here last night and that you were okay. I think it’s sweet how much he cares about you and your people.”

“Yeah,” he said. Mia slid the finished eggs onto plates and grabbed some apples from her fridge. Daryl mindlessly scraped some burnt pieces off the corner of his toast and licked it off his finger, “He’s a good guy.”

“He is,” Mia said, “And he has the cutest baby. I hadn’t held a baby in so long. I always wanted a baby of my own.”

“Figures,” Daryl said with a chuckle. Mia raised an eyebrow as she started cutting an apple into slices, “Didn’t mean nothin’ bad by it. You’re just…I dunno…patient. And good at takin’ care of people.”

Mia shrugged as she set the apple slices down on Daryl’s plate next to his eggs, “I guess you’re right. I do seem to have that maternal instinct. Just kinda sucks that I missed my window. Unless the world is restored sometime in the next twenty years. Which, by the looks of things, is probably not going to happen.”

“Well, Judith’s around,” Daryl said, “So you’re not totally without babies.”

“Yeah,” Mia said with a sigh. She sat down at the table across from Daryl and poked her egg with her fork, watching the yolk seep through the holes, “No reason to get upset about something I accepted a long time ago. How’re the eggs?”

Daryl pushed his piece of egg around the yolk that had spilled onto his plate, “They’re good.”

Mia smiled and continued to eat in a silence that was unlike her. Daryl’s eyes focused on Mia’s bracelet once more as he tossed a piece of his apple into his mouth. With her wrist turned, he could see a D engraved on it but the other letters were still hidden. He would’ve asked again to see the bracelet but the look on her face when he first brought it up last night made his heart ache so he ignored it. He found that he couldn’t stand to see her upset. What was this woman doing to him?

Daryl was quick to leave after breakfast despite Mia telling him there was no rush to go. He needed time to get away from her, to force whatever feelings he had towards her deep, deep down into the depths of his heart so he could forget about them. 

And that’s the way it was for the next few days. Daryl had finally gotten his job which was helping Aaron recruit new people as he had done with their group. Well, that and he would finish the motorcycle Aaron had started building.

It was a cloudy, gloomy afternoon but Daryl decided he wanted to try out his newly built motorcycle anyway. With his jacket on and his shades tucked into his shirt, he made sure he had enough ammo and enough arrows just in case he ran into trouble.

Aaron came outside to open the gate for Daryl and he had none other than Mia walking with him. She stood there with her arms crossed, only a sweater to combat the chilly, windy weather. She smiled, staring at Daryl sitting on his bike, though she turned away once she met Daryl’s blue eyes.

“I didn’t know you could build a motorcycle too,” she murmured, “I’ve never been on one before.”

Daryl should’ve just nodded and left it at that. But when Mia was around, words came out of his mouth before he could think of what he was saying, “Wanna come with me?”

“Really?” Mia said, “You actually want me to come along?”

“Why’s that so hard to believe?”

“Because you’ve been avoiding me.”

“And why would I be avoiding you?” Daryl inquired, “What the hell makes you think that?”

Mia glanced at Aaron who was trying not to listen to their conversation but it was hard not to hear it all when he was standing right there. She shook her head as she approached Daryl’s bike, climbing on behind him, “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s go!”

“Hold on,” he said. Mia’s arms wrapped around Daryl’s waist, letting out a squeak as Daryl sped off down the empty road. He couldn’t see her but he felt her head lean against his back and squeeze him tighter.

“Hey!” Mia yelled over the roar of the engine, “How far are we going?!”

“Wanna see if we can find some supplies before we turn around and head back,” Daryl replied. They rode for about an hour when they finally came across another town and Daryl stopped the bike, hiding it under some leaves littering the ground. He took his crossbow and handed his gun off to Mia, “Stay close.”

“Right,” Mia said. She followed behind him with her gun raised, looking through the window of each shop and each home, “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“Mia, come on,” Daryl said, “I haven’t been.”

“I’m not stupid,” Mia replied, “I mean, if I did something to offend you, why don’t you just tell me?”

“You didn’t offend me,” he said.

“Then what did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything,” Daryl snapped, “Now just drop it. We don’t have time for this.”

“You’re right,” Mia mumbled, “Thank you for the ride by the way. It was nice being on a bike.”

“I didn’t think you liked it at all,” Daryl said, “You grabbed onto me like you thought you were gonna die.”

“That’s not why I grabbed onto you,” Mia said.

“It’s not?” Daryl stopped and looked back at her, a frown of confusion on his face, “Then what was with the tight grip?”

“I just…” Mia’s voice trailed off, her mouth open but now left unable to say anything more. Daryl waited in anticipation anyway, squeezing his crossbow so Mia wouldn’t see his hands tremble. Their attention was suddenly diverted by a drop of water hitting Mia’s nose.

Daryl looked up at the sky, a few more water droplets hitting him on the forehead and cheeks, “Looks like rain. Shit. I shouldn’t have gone out today.”

“No harm done,” Mia said, “We’ll just head home before it starts raining too hard.”

As the two of them turned and headed back for Daryl’s bike, thunder boomed throughout the sky, rain suddenly pounding down on them. They both got soaked instantly and Daryl grabbed Mia’s hand, dragging her down the street and into the first building that wasn’t locked or boarded up.

“Shit!” he hissed, finding every door locked or with boards too thick to simple kick down, “That was fuckin’ quick!”

“Should we just ride home anyway?” Mia asked.

“No, shouldn’t risk it,” Daryl replied, “Roads are slippery and if this storm is anything like the one we had the day before Aaron found us, we really shouldn’t be outside.”

Mia nodded as Daryl pushed on the door of an abandoned drugstore and miraculously, it opened for them. Mia shivered as Daryl took a magazine rack and shoved it against the door. Mia slicked back her wet hair and wiped the drops of water off her face as cold air seeped through the cracks in the windows.

“Think we can find anything warm and dry to put on while we wait?” Mia asked, rubbing her arms up and down as she looked around the torn apart store, “We shouldn’t stay in these wet clothes for too long.”

“If we can’t, I’ll try and start a fire,” Daryl said, “You look around for somethin’ but watch your back.”

After clearing the store of any walkers, Daryl started a fire while Mia searched for some dry clothes that would fit the two of them. It seemed their bad luck was never ending as Mia couldn’t find anything that would fit them. She sighed disappointedly, wringing her wet hair out as she sat down in front of the fire Daryl had started in a trashcan.

“Nothing?” Daryl said.

“Nothing,” she muttered, hugging her knees to her chest, “Damn shame too. I’m so cold.”

“Me too,” he said. He watched Mia shake for the longest time, the bracelet she wore jingled against her as she shivered. She held her hands out in front of the fire but it wasn’t big enough to warm her quickly. Daryl grunted, tapping the ground next to him, “Come here.”

“For what?” Mia asked.

“We gotta stay warm,” he said, “Just come here.”

Mia crawled over to him, unsure of his intentions. She gasped as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him until she was nestled against him. Despite how cold he said he was, his body felt like a furnace.

“Oh,” she sighed, relaxing in his arms, “Thank you, this feels so much better, Daryl.”

“Sure,” he grunted. He hoped and prayed that she couldn’t feel his heart pounding against his chest. He felt such self loathing for allowing his feelings to linger like this. He wanted her close to him like this all the time. And it appeared to him that she wanted to be close to him too. But maybe this was all in his head.

“This has become quite the adventure,” Mia commented, “Hasn’t it?”

“You could say that,” Daryl said. He lifted his head to look out the window. The rain had lightened and a part of that disappointed him, “Looks like the rain stopped. We can go back now.”

As Daryl tried to stand up, Mia tightened her grip on his waist, “Wait a second. I don’t wanna leave yet.”

“Well…okay…if that’s what you want,” Daryl said. For once since the day he met Mia, he wasn’t going to fight her on this. He would surrender to the moment for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I love this Mia character haha it's hard because I'm trying not to make her this Mary Sue character but I just love her so much I end up going that route lol! I'm trying to avoid that. Mia has her flaws, give her time haha


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so appreciative of all your nice comments :) thank you for all the kind words. I can't tell you how much they all mean to me. I always feel like my writing isn't gonna be good enough so I'm constantly nervous about posting haha.

            It had been at least an hour since the rain stopped. Mia and Daryl hadn’t said a word and the only noise surrounding the two of them were the drops of water leaking through the ceiling, hitting the linoleum floor below. Mia made conversation for a little while but Daryl realized soon after that she had fallen asleep in his arms. They should’ve started home but he didn’t have the heart to wake her up. Over time, she had slid down until her head was rested on his lap, her arms stretched out in front of her.

 

            Mia’s bracelet caught Daryl’s attention once more and he was fighting the temptation to turn her wrist to see what was engraved on the bracelet. She always changed the subject whenever he noticed it or brought it up. Maybe he shouldn’t peek. He knew he wouldn’t want someone prying into his secrets. He wouldn’t want Mia asking him too many questions about his past.

 

            Mia woke up before Daryl could make his decision. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, “Hm? How long have I been asleep?”

 

            “I dunno,” Daryl replied, “Haven’t really checked the time. It’s gonna get dark soon, Mia. Everyone’s probably wondering where we are. It stopped rainin’ so we’ll be fine. Come on.”

 

            Daryl stood up and reached out for Mia’s hand. She smiled and grabbed his hand, squeezing so he wouldn’t let go even when he lifted her up. She chuckled, looking down at their wrinkly, still slightly damp clothes, “Even though we kinda…ya know ended up stuck in the rain, I still had a nice afternoon with you.”

 

            “Me too,” Daryl said as he approached the front door, running his tongue along his upper lip, “Looks like we’re mostly clear. Only a few walkers out there. You ready?”

 

            Mia pulled out her knife and came up behind him with a nod, “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

 

            Daryl threw open the door, catching the attention of every single walker stumbling by. There were only a few so it wasn’t as if they’d attracted a herd. Daryl had never seen Mia fight before but considering she’d been in Alexandria since the beginning, he figured she’d be too afraid. But he’d been so wrong.

 

            Mia jumped into action, grabbing one walker by the back of the head and jamming her knife right into its eye, throwing it down on the ground, not breaking stride as she spun around to get a walker coming up behind her and she stabbed it right in the temple. It was almost hypnotic for him watching her move.

 

            Once they were clear, Daryl started pulling his arrows from the heads of the walkers he’d taken out while Mia wiped off the walker blood on one of the walker’s shirts.

 

            “You’re from Alexandria,” Daryl remarked, “How the hell did you know how to fight like that? No one else there seems to know.”

 

            “Because I didn’t start out in Alexandria,” Mia explained, “I was there since pretty much the beginning but the walls had been up for weeks by the time I got there. I still can’t say that I’ve seen the world for what it is like you can but I do know how to take care of myself.”

 

            “You were alone?”

 

            Mia hung her head, “Not at first. But that’s how I ended up. If I hadn’t found Alexandria, damn…I’d probably be dead.”

 

            “Who were you with?” Daryl inquired, watching Mia climb onto the back of his motorcycle.

 

            “It’s not important now,” Mia murmured, “Let’s just get back home so we can get into some dry clothes.”

 

            There was more mystery surrounding Mia than Daryl had ever thought and he found himself strangely intrigued by that. It was drawing him closer to her despite how hard he was trying to fight it. But the more he fought it, the more he asked himself if it was worth it.

 

            The two of them parted ways once they returned to Alexandria. Daryl changed into something dry and tossed his damp clothes into the hamper. All he could do after that was just think of Mia. He tried to force her from his brain but she wouldn’t go. He may have had his little crush but he wanted that gone. He didn’t want these feelings and he didn’t want her.

 

            But that was just a big fat lie.

 

            “Hey,” Rick said, patting Daryl’s shoulders as he joined him on the couch, “You and Mia were gone for hours. What were you doing?”

 

            “Waiting for the rain to stop,” Daryl responded, “Then she fell asleep and I couldn’t wake her up.”

 

            “Just passed the time by watching her sleep?” Rick teased.

 

            “Stop.”

 

            “I’m just playing around,” Rick said with a chuckle, “Mia seems to like you.”

 

            “You think so?” Daryl said.

 

            “Definitely,” Rick replied, slowly nodding his head, “She wouldn’t hang around you so much if she didn’t.”

 

            “Who told you she liked me?”

 

            “No one told me,” Rick said, “It’s just obvious. She could be waiting on you to make the first move.”

 

            Daryl scoffed, “Yeah right. If that’s what she’s waitin’ for, she’s wasting her time.”

 

            “I don’t see why,” Rick muttered, “Why don’t you just do something?”

 

            Daryl would never admit it to Rick but he had no damn clue at all about how to make “the first move” or how to express any kind of feeling, especially ones he’d never felt before and didn’t fully understand. This had never happened before and he didn’t know what to do.

 

            “Because you’re wrong,” Daryl retorted. A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and he pushed himself off the couch, pointing a finger at Rick, “Now I don’t wanna hear another word about it.”

 

            Daryl opened the door and there was Mia standing there all bundled up in a sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her head. She held two cups in her hands, each with a tea bag inside of them.

 

            “I thought you might wanna warm up,” she said, “It’s still really cold outside.”

 

            “I don’t know,” Daryl mumbled, “I’m not really…”

 

            “Mia come on in,” Rick interjected, “I was just about to leave and check on everybody. Tea kettle’s in the cabinet right next to the oven.”

 

            “Thanks,” Mia said, smiling at Rick as he walked by. Daryl sighed and stepped to the side so Mia could come in. She chuckled as she headed for the kitchen, “I’d bet you’re tired of seeing my face.”

 

            Daryl could never get tired of seeing her but that was just another thought he had to smother, “Nah, you’re alright. You look like you’re freezing though and it ain’t even that cold.”

 

            He heard some clinking and clattering coming from the kitchen and he came inside to see what the hell Mia was getting into. How deep in the cabinet was this tea kettle?

 

            When Daryl came into the kitchen, Mia was bent over searching for the kettle and he nearly fell over, feeling his entire face get hot. He cleared his throat, keeping his head turned although the image of her bent over would be burned into his memory forever.

 

            Mia finally stood up, bumping the cabinet shut with her hip as she filled the tea kettle with water, “The slightest breeze and I’m freezing. But your house is so warm though.”

 

            Mia unzipped her sweatshirt and tossed it onto the kitchen table as she set the kettle down on the stove, turning the heat on. Daryl refused to move, refused to turn his head to look at her, “Yeah, it’s pretty warm in here.”

 

            “Are you okay?” Mia asked, “Did I come at a bad time?”

 

            “Nah,” Daryl said, “You’re fine.”

 

            “You sure?” Mia said. Approaching Daryl, she turned his head to face her and she placed her cold hands against his warm, red cheeks, “You’re looking a little red. You don’t feel like you have a fever though so that’s good. You feel okay?”

 

            Daryl tried avoiding eye contact but she wouldn’t let him as she pushed his hair back and felt his forehead. For someone just trying to check his temperature, she wasn’t moving her hands away from his face. Had Rick actually been right? She liked him and was just waiting? No. No, that couldn’t be it.

 

            “What’re you thinking about?” Mia asked.

 

            “I…” Daryl stuttered, “I…I don’t…I dunno.”

 

            Mia finally moved her hands from Daryl’s face, resting them on his chest. Daryl had no idea what to do with his own hands and so he just kept them at his sides until Mia grabbed them and placed them on her hips. He took in a deep breath as she put her hands back on his chest.

 

            “Hey,” she said, “It’s alright.”

 

            Daryl relaxed his body and he leaned in, the whistling of the kettle muffled by the sounds of his heart pounding in his ears. What was he even doing? He didn’t know how to do this. He would do this and she would laugh at him he just knew it.

 

            He nervously pressed his lips onto hers and he heard her sigh against him, pushing herself up against him as she returned his kiss. He couldn’t believe this, she liked this? She wanted this?

 

            Daryl pulled away to take a breath and Mia panted, pressing her lips together as she now looked as red as he did. She looked back at the kettle whistling and she chuckled.

 

            “Guess the water’s ready,” she said.

 

            “You didn’t mind that?” Daryl mumbled as Mia went back to the stove and pulled the kettle from the heat, pouring the hot water into the cups, the tea bags turning the clear water into a murky, dark brown color.

 

            “Mind it?” Mia said, “What do you mean?”

 

            “You didn’t…”

 

            “Hate it?” Mia giggled, stretching her arm out and opening her hand, “Of course not, Daryl. I wanted you to kiss me. I want you to kiss me all the time.”

 

            “All the time?”

 

            Mia nodded as he approached her and grabbed her hand. She squeezed his hand, “I just…didn’t say anything because…ya know…I didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable. But I…I like you and it’s too much work to keep it hidden.”

 

            “Well shit,” Daryl said, “So…what do we do now?”

 

            Mia pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and she grinned, her lips inches from his, “For now, just shut up and kiss me.”

 

            Daryl couldn’t bring himself to argue with that and he kissed her again, tightening his grip on her waist. Unfortunately, he didn’t know what to do from here. She seemed to have a clue and he was so far behind her.


	5. Chapter Five

The next day offered more sunshine than yesterday but that wasn’t the only thing that gave Mia a burst of energy. She woke up the next morning with the memory of Daryl’s kiss yesterday. She had a feeling that he was totally clueless but she barely knew more than him so she was okay with the two of them figuring it all out together.

Jessie had stopped by Mia’s house after breakfast and the two women sat on Mia’s porch having some iced tea and enjoying the warmth after the gloomy day they’d had yesterday.

“So, Daryl finally made a move?” Jessie chuckled, “I thought it was all gonna have to be on you.”

“I think his shyness is actually sweet,” Mia said, “I really like him though, Jessie. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strongly about a person before.”

“Well, considering Daryl’s only the second man you’ve ever had an interest in…” Jessie said, “Not much of a comparison.”

“That’s different,” Mia said, “I know it sounds crazy but that was so complicated. But Daryl…it’s easy. Feels right, ya know?”

“God, you make it sound like you’re in love with him or something,” Jessie said, “Wait…are you?”

“I don’t think so,” Mia replied, “I don’t know, maybe yesterday just got me all overexcited. Hell, he might not be thinking of it as much as I am.”

 

* * *

 

“So, what happened after I left yesterday?” Rick asked.

“What, are we gossiping like high school girls or some shit?” Daryl retorted, “Nothin’ happened.”

“Whatever Mia said to you or whatever happened, it made you a lot nicer,” Rick said, “So something definitely happened that put you in a damn good mood.”

“I ain’t sayin’ nothin’,” Daryl grumbled, shifting uncomfortably in the recliner chair he sat in, “Don’t need all of you going crazy over something that ain’t that big of a deal.”

“Alright, alright,” Rick chuckled as he got up from the couch. He headed for the front door but stopped about halfway, turning back to Daryl, “Just nice seeing you happy for a change.”

Later in the afternoon, Daryl left the house to work on some of the cars they had. He’d already finished on his bike and still needed something to do. Aaron came out after seeing that Daryl had been working nonstop for hours.

“Hey,” Aaron said, holding up a bottle of water, “Thought you could have something to drink. You don’t wanna take a break?”

“Nah,” Daryl retorted, taking the bottle from Aaron, “Wanted to give myself somethin’ to do.”

“Well, I’ll keep you company then,” Aaron said. Daryl shrugged and set his water bottle down. Aaron crossed his arms and looked over at what Daryl was working on, finding that he had no idea what the hell Daryl was doing, “So…how’re things with Mia?”

“Did Mia tell everyone or something?” Daryl snapped, “Was I some kinda conquest or something?”

“Not at all,” Aaron replied, “I see the two of you hanging out all the time so I thought you two were together.”

“Oh,” Daryl grunted, “Well, I dunno. I…um…I guess we are. She…she didn’t say anything.”

“Well, being out here and not talking to her isn’t gonna do you any good,” Aaron said, “You must be really something to get Mia’s attention like you have. When she first showed up here, she was so depressed and heartbroken. The first time I saw her smile was when I found her that bracelet she wears all the time now.”

“Why would that bracelet make her so happy?” Daryl inquired.

“It has her son’s name on it,” Aaron said, “She didn’t tell you that?”

“She has a son?” Daryl stopped working immediately and turned to Aaron, “What happened to him?”

Aaron got quiet and his eyes widened, “Oh. She didn’t tell you. Well um…that might be something to ask her. I already said more than I should have. I’ll see you later.”

Daryl dropped everything and went over to Mia’s house. She was still on the porch with Jessie, talking and giggling with her. Mia’s smile distracted him momentarily, warming his heart more than he would ever want to admit.

Jessie had caught Daryl watching and she waved her arm over her head, “Daryl! Hi! Here to see Mia?”

“Yeah,” Daryl grunted, glancing at Mia’s bracelet as he walked up the steps onto the porch, “I was hopin’ to talk to Mia alone.”

“Sure,” Jessie replied with a smile, patting Mia’s shoulder as she stood up, “I’ll see you later, Mia.”

Mia nodded and Daryl took Jessie’s spot on the porch. Mia took Jessie’s empty glass and held it up, “You want something to drink? You look like you’ve been running around all day.”

“Nah, I had water but I left it,” Daryl said, “I was talkin’ to Aaron just now.”

“Oh?” Mia said, pouring herself another glass of iced tea, “And what did you boys talk about?”

Daryl hesitated to answer her, rethinking this entire conversation. There was obviously a reason why Mia never told him anything. And if she ever asked him something about his past, he knew he wouldn’t be able to answer. But he spoke before he had a chance to stop himself.

“What happened to your son?” he blurted out. Mia nearly dropped her glass but was able to set it down before she could. Slapping her hand over her bracelet, her skin turned almost white. Daryl shook his head quickly and waved his hands, “No, wait. Shit, forget I asked. That wasn’t right I shouldn’t have asked.”

“N-no, it’s fine,” Mia said, “I guess there’s no harm in telling you. I had a son, yes. His name was Dylan which is what’s on this bracelet that Aaron found for me.”

“What happened to him?”

“Dylan was stillborn,” Mia explained, “It was shortly before the world fell apart.”

“Sorry,” Daryl said. He wasn’t sure if he was expressing sympathy for Mia’s massive loss or if he was apologizing for asking her such a personal question. Regardless, he felt guilty for both.

Mia grabbed Daryl’s hand, pressing her lips together as she looked up at the sky, “Kinda sucks, ya know? All I ever wanted in my life was to be a mother and I never got the chance to do that.”

“It does suck,” Daryl muttered.

Mia sniffled and Daryl turned to see her weeping. Daryl sighed and pulled on her hand until she scooted her chair closer to his, “Shit, Mia I’m sorry I asked you that.”

“No, it’s okay,” Mia whimpered, “Sometimes, you need to talk about things, ya know? Things that make you sad or uncomfortable or angry. I’m glad you asked me, Daryl. It was just something I should’ve dealt with a long time ago and I didn’t. I’m sorry, I know my crying makes you uncomfortable.”

Daryl stood up, pulling Mia up with him, “Nah you’re alright. Come here.”

Mia wrapped her arms around him and she felt his hand hold onto the back of her head as he hugged her. She breathed him in and buried her face in his chest, “I wish he were here now. I’m sure he would’ve loved you.”

“I dunno,” Daryl mumbled, “For what it’s worth, you deserved to be a mom.”

Mia lifted her head and took Daryl’s face in her hands, pulling him in for a kiss. He could see people walking by the house, turning and looking at them but at this point he didn’t care, not anymore.

“Thank you,” Mia said when she pulled away, wiping the tears off her face, “Aaron was the only person I ever told after it all happened. You know, Daryl, if there’s anything you ever want to tell me, you can.”

“What makes you think I have anything to say?” Daryl said.

“It’s just that sometimes you look like you have things weighing you down,” Mia said, running her fingers down his jawline. He shivered under her touch but he composed himself, kept himself under control, “I want you to be as happy as you’ve made me.”

“I’ve made you happy?”

“Of course,” Mia said, pushing Daryl’s hair away from his face, “I haven’t felt this good in a long, long time, Daryl. I…I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”

Mia buried her fingers into his dark hair and kissed him again. Daryl’s heart pounded against his chest as her tongue slipped into his mouth. His hands trembled as he held her face, feeling flushed and heat spreading throughout his body, his spine tingling.

Daryl quickly pulled away before Mia could get any farther. He turned his body away and started down the steps, leaving Mia just as flustered as him. She cleared her throat and licked her lips.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“Nah, nah I’m sorry I…” Daryl stopped and grunted, tucking his hands into his pockets, “I’ve gotta get goin’ now. I-I’ll see ya, Mia. Thanks for being so cool about this.”

Mia was breathing heavily and Daryl couldn’t bear to look at her anymore. He quickly walked off before Mia could say anything. It had never occurred to her to tell Daryl anything about Dylan but she was telling the truth when she said she was glad he asked. It felt almost liberating talking about her baby. It was like she was free to be happy again. If only she could offer that comfort to Daryl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mia's secret is finally revealed! What do you think of her secret?


	6. Chapter Six

Daryl had his regrets but Mia wasn’t one of them. But he hated that he’d made Mia reveal that part of her life. Maybe she hadn’t meant to keep it all a secret but now it was almost like he was obligated to share his own secrets. Mia wouldn’t be satisfied with his brief shows of affections forever, would she? It was true that she was surprisingly patient and understanding, but even the kindest human couldn’t possibly be understanding of what little he had to offer. She deserved someone who could move at her pace and offer her more than he could.

Mia was lucky enough to be able to baby-sit little Judith for a few hours and she couldn’t have been more thrilled. It made her ache for a baby even more and that combined with her recent discussion about her little boy a few days ago, holding Judith almost made her burst into tears. But she kept it together in front of Rick and Carl. She couldn’t believe she’d told Daryl about Dylan so easily. But she trusted him with everything she had. She just hoped he trusted her that much too.

As Mia sat on her porch, strapping Judith into her stroller, the steps creaked behind her. She turned to see Spencer taking a seat on the white, wooden bench behind her.

“This is a bad time, Spencer,” Mia said as she adjusted Judith’s floppy hat on her head, “I’m about to take Judith for a walk. Whatever you’ve got to talk about, you think it could wait?”

“You didn’t used to make me wait,” Spencer muttered, “It’s been days, probably even weeks since we hung out like we used to.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy,” Mia said, “I’ve had a lot to do, ya know?”

“I wouldn’t call hanging out with that Daryl guy ‘busy’ Mia,” Spencer retorted, “Is he your boyfriend now or something?”

Mia turned to look at Spencer over her shoulder, grimacing, “Yes, Spencer. He is in fact my boyfriend. Is there a problem?”

“No not really,” Spencer said, “But he’s so quiet. Does he even talk to you? Touch you? Or is it like a middle school romance?”

“What is your problem?” Mia snapped, “What Daryl and I do or don’t do is none of your business. You’re supposed to be my friend, Spencer. Be a little supportive of me, will you?”

“How am I supposed to know what we are anymore?” Spencer said, “I don’t see you anymore.”

“Oh grow up,” Mia scoffed, “If you were really just missing me, you wouldn’t be talking like that. What gives you the right to talk shit about my boyfriend like that? Just leave me alone until you can talk to me like an adult.”

Mia stood up and carefully rolled Judith’s stroller down the steps and started walking down the street with her, leaving Spencer dumbfounded as he watched her go. Daryl was just as shocked as he’d overheard everything they’d said to each other.

Daryl wasn’t out to see what Mia was up to or even to pay her a visit. Her house was on the way to Aaron’s where he was headed to work on his bike. But the mention of his name made him stop and listen. Somehow, he’d expected Mia to reveal how she really felt about him.

And it appeared she had.

Daryl waited for Mia to be out of sight and for Spencer to leave before he continued on to Aaron’s house. Aaron was already waiting in his garage for Daryl to arrive. He smiled at the sight of his friend and waved as he approached.

“Hey,” he said, “What took you so long?”

“Nothin’,” Daryl muttered. He sat down on one of the stools, resting his elbows on his knees, “I…I ain’t good at this shit.”

“Good at what?” Aaron said.

“I uh…gotta ask you something,” Daryl said, “So…would you say that Mia and I are…a couple?”

Aaron frowned, thrown off by the random question. He stopped to think about it as he gathered Daryl’s tools together. He finally nodded as he placed them by Daryl’s feet, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess I would. Why? Did Mia talk to you?”

“No,” Daryl replied, “I overheard her talking to Spencer and he asked her if I was her boyfriend and she said yes.”

“Well, Mia is crazy about you,” Aaron chuckled, “So, she called you her boyfriend. What do you think about that?”

“I dunno,” Daryl said, “It’s alright I guess.”

“Would you say Mia is your girlfriend?”

“I…yeah,” Daryl said, “Yeah, I guess she is.”

“And that’s a good thing, right?” Aaron said, “You seem to really like her, Daryl. Don’t you? Because you don’t seem like the kinda guy who’s out to make her another notch on your bedpost.”

“Definitely not,” Daryl grumbled, “So…what do I do?”

Aaron laughed, patting Daryl’s shoulder, “You could start by, oh, I don’t know, talking to her? You know Mia’s willing to discuss anything with you. She made that clear when she told you about her son.”

Daryl would’ve argued but that would’ve forced him to share things he wasn’t sure he was willing to share with even Mia. But Aaron was making more sense than Daryl was hoping he would. He still had much to learn and he realized the thought terrified him. Being so close, so personal, so intimate with another person, it was almost frightening. He thought he’d experienced the scariest things in the world but this was scarier than anything he had ever endured. He would tear through a horde of thousands of walkers easily. But talking to a woman he found himself liking more and more each day? The anxiety could kill him.

Later in the evening, Mia was washing the dishes in her kitchen, humming to herself when she was interrupted by a knock at her door. Turning off the faucet, she left the remaining dishes to soak in the soapy water as she dried off her hands to answer the door.

Mia was surprised to see Daryl standing outside her door, looking a little nervous, almost distressed. She grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into the house, shutting the door behind her, “Daryl? Are you alright?”

“Just wanted to talk to ya,” he muttered, “You busy?”

“I always have time for you,” Mia said, giving him a smile that reached her perfect blue-green eyes. She got up on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, “Come on, sit down. You want anything to drink? I’ve got water or juice or wine. Whatever.”

“Just water is fine,” Daryl replied as he took a seat on Mia’s couch. She disappeared into the kitchen for a few seconds, returning with a glass of water. She held it out to him but he couldn’t bring himself to take it so she set it down on the coffee table.

“So, what’s up?” Mia asked, sitting down beside him. She brushed his dark hair away from his eyes, “You don’t normally come to me with something so serious.”

“I heard you talking to Spencer earlier,” Daryl said, “Didn’t think you’d be callin’ me your boyfriend.”

“Oh,” Mia murmured, “If you don’t want to be my boyfriend, I don’t have to-”

“I want to,” Daryl blurted out, shocking the both of them, “I just…didn’t think you wanted that.”

“Oh Daryl,” Mia said, “You would’ve known that if you’d talk to me.”

Daryl shrugged and Mia held his face in her hands, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs, “I think you’ve figured out by now that I’m very understanding. Whatever fears you have, whatever insecurities, I’ll help you work through them.”

“Why would you do that?” Daryl muttered.

Mia started her response with a tender kiss, moving from his lips to his cheek, up his jaw, “You wanna be my boyfriend, right? Well, I wanna be your girlfriend. And that’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do. You listened to me talk about my son. I’ll listen to everything you have to say. Looking at you…I don’t know, it seems like there’s so much hidden in those eyes, like…like you have so much to say.”

Daryl leaned in, kissing her a little rougher than he normally did. His fingers slipped under her blouse and she sucked in her breath, his warm hands spreading heat through her cold skin. Mia’s hands snuck down the back of Daryl’s shirt, hands roaming the smooth skin of his back. Her fingers brushed up against rough, uneven skin but she didn’t flinch. She could tell they were scars based on how they felt but she wasn’t going to point them out. She just wanted to be close to him.

Daryl’s body trembled under Mia’s touch as she pulled him down so he was hovering above her, their lips still locked in a heated kiss. What if he couldn’t do this? She knew what it was supposed to be like and…he still wasn’t sure he had much to offer.

He pulled away, his hands back at his sides as he sat up, leaving Mia desperate for his touch and a whine escaped her lips unintentionally. Daryl’s body was tense, though his hands couldn’t stop shaking.

Mia licked her lips and smoothed down her hair, scooting closer to him, reaching out to touch his shoulders, “Daryl. I-I don’t know what’s upsetting you right now but whatever it is, it’s okay.”

“Sorry,” he grunted, “I just…can’t…I can’t.”

“What do you mean?”

Mia moved her hand from his shoulder, tangling her fingers up in his as she rested their locked hands on her lap. Daryl sighed, “I…I’ve never…”

“You’ve never…?” Mia wasn’t getting it at first but once it clicked, her eyes widened, “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” Daryl muttered. He pushed himself off the couch, keeping his head down as he stomped towards the door, “I gotta go.”

“Wait, no, Daryl stop!” Mia exclaimed, scrambling to follow him, “That’s not what I meant! I was just surprised!”

“Yeah, well, what the hell would you want with me anyway?” Daryl scoffed, “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. Look, just forget about me, Mia.”

“Daryl, it doesn’t bother me!” Mia shot back. Daryl ignored her and opened her front door, leaving it open as he stormed out. Mia ran outside onto the porch, “Daryl wait!”

As Daryl continued without even acknowledging her, Spencer so happened to be walking by with some rations from the pantry. He chuckled as he watched Daryl go, turning to Mia, “Trouble in paradise?”

“Oh fuck off, Spencer,” Mia snarled as she slammed her front door behind her. She leaned against her door, “Fuck!”

All Mia wanted was for Daryl to trust her and she was sure she had given him every reason to believe he could. She knew her reaction wasn’t the right one but she was genuinely surprised. But it never bothered her even for a second and he didn’t even give her a chance to respond. The one time Daryl let her in and she screwed it all up.


	7. Chapter Seven

It had been days since Mia even saw Daryl. Days turned into weeks and the silence broke Mia’s heart. She wanted so badly to smooth things over but he kept himself busy. She’d gone over to the house a few times but he was never there. It was obvious to everyone that he was avoiding her but she refused to answer when they all asked what happened.

“Mia, you’re back,” Rick said after Mia’s third visit to the house in a row. He sighed, leaning against the doorway, “Daryl left about an hour ago.”

“Really?” Mia sighed, “I don’t know what to do, Rick.”

“Well, I’m leaving right now,” Rick replied, “So, you can wait here if you want. He’s gotta come back eventually. Are you seriously not gonna tell anyone what happened?”

“It’s not for me to say,” Mia explained, “But I wanna make it right because he really is special to me, Rick. Daryl hasn’t said anything to you about it?”

“He said something about it not working out between you two,” Rick said, “But he didn’t really elaborate. You know how he is.”

Mia sighed, “I know.”

“Sorry,” Rick said, “Anyways, go ahead and sit down and he should be back in a few hours. I hope it works out for you two, Mia. I really do. He seemed a lot happier when you were around.”

“I was too,” Mia murmured. She patted Rick’s arm as he stepped to the side to let her come inside, “Thank you, Rick.”

“His room’s upstairs if you wanna wait for him there,” Rick added as he walked out the front door, “Last door on the right.”

Mia smiled and gave Rick a nod, heading for the stairs as Rick shut the door behind him. Halfway up the staircase, Mia realized that she hadn’t thought of what she was going to say to Daryl. And she’d gotten to know him quite well. She knew that one had to get straight to the point when it came to Daryl. Taking too long would give Daryl the chance to disregard everything that was being said. Rick did mention that it would be a few hours before Daryl got back from whatever it was he did to avoid her all day. It gave Mia the opportunity to really think of what she needed to say to Daryl. Because she did have so much to say.

It was getting harder and harder to find things to do that would distract Daryl long enough to avoid Mia. At first, he had all day long to fix up the cars and work on his bike. But eventually, all the vehicles were fixed and everything that Daryl could possibly help with was done. But he was horribly stubborn and he would find something, anything.

Since everything was finished, Daryl took his motorcycle out on a run. He disappeared for the entire day and he did more time thinking about the past few weeks than he did actually hunting. He couldn’t get his mind off Mia no matter how many mind-numbing chores he did. He knew Mia well enough to know that she couldn’t possibly be the kind of person to judge. Or at least he thought he did.

Or maybe it was possible that he was wrong. But now that he’d put so much distance between them for so long, how could he go back on what he did? He reacted too quickly, believing that Mia wouldn’t want someone like him. Clearly, Mia was a woman who was experienced. She knew what she wanted and she knew what the hell she was doing. Daryl didn’t have a clue and that was humiliating. But Mia was also someone who had compassion and understanding, more so than anyone else he’d ever known.

And he blew it.

It was nearly dinnertime when Daryl returned to Alexandria empty-handed. He went back to his house without saying a word to anyone. When he distanced himself from Mia, he’d distanced himself from everyone else too.

The house was empty and dark when Daryl came in. He kicked the door shut, leaning his crossbow against the wall, “Rick? Anyone here? Where the fuck is everyone?”

Daryl rolled his eyes, scoffing as he headed upstairs. Everyone had probably gone to the second house they were given when they first arrived. After learning to trust the people of Alexandria, they’d split up. But it seemed that everyone wanted to be in the other house and Daryl was again alone in this one.

He stomped up the stairs, frowning at the light peeking underneath his bedroom door, shining brightly against the dark hallway. He couldn’t imagine it being someone suspicious but his hand instinctively wrapped around the handle of his knife as he approached the door. When he opened the door, he found a familiar, friendly, beautiful face that he missed deeply.

“Daryl, you’ve been gone all day,” Mia said, “Are you alright? How’ve you been?”

“I’ve…been okay,” Daryl said, “What about you?”

“Well, if we’re honest with each other, I haven’t been that great,” Mia replied, “I feel terrible about how we left things, Daryl. I just wanted to clear everything up. Can I talk to you?”

“Yeah,” Daryl grunted.

Mia patted a spot next to her on his bed and he sat down at the end of the bed, a few inches away from her. She folded her hands on her lap and took a deep breath, “I’m sorry that I hurt you with my reaction. It was just such a surprise. But it doesn’t bother me at all. You want me to be honest with you, Daryl? I don’t have much more experience than you do.”

“Well, I know you ain’t one,” Daryl snapped, “You had a kid.”

“I did,” Mia said, “But, I got pregnant from my first time, my only time. I only slept with one guy one time and…well…we broke up almost immediately after.”

“Why?”

“Sleeping together made us realize we didn’t really love each other as much as we thought we did,” Mia said, “I wouldn’t say it was bad but it just…it wasn’t right. It was something I’ve always regretted. So, I don’t really know much more than you. But I think that’s okay. You know why?”

Daryl shrugged but said nothing. Mia crawled towards him and hugged him from behind, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, “Because it’s something we can figure out together. I wish I’d waited long enough to know if it was right or not. But with you, I know for a fact that this is right. What do you think, Daryl? How do you feel?”

He paused, goosebumps spreading across his skin as Mia kissed his neck and squeezed him tighter against him. He knew he’d been overreacting but he still couldn’t help but be weighed down by doubt, “What if…what if you regret it with me too? What if…it’s not what we think it is? I don’t wanna regret it.”

“Look at me,” Mia said. She shifted so she was sitting on her knees next to him, pushing his dark hair off his face. Daryl turned his head, staring deeply into her eyes. She kissed his cheek, leaning her forehead against the side of his head, “Forget everything that holds you back. What do you feel?”

“I…I feel…” Daryl murmured. He held Mia’s face in his hands and kissed her, hoping that the kiss would tell her more than words would. He was never any good at saying anything. 

“Daryl,” she whispered, pulling away from his kiss, “We can take this slow. I didn’t tell you this to convince you of anything.”

“I know,” Daryl said, kissing her again, “I want to.”

Mia beamed as she stood up, pulling him up with her, “We’ll learn together, Daryl. Alright?”

**NSFW: SMUT WARNING**

He nodded, his heart pounding as she undressed him. He noticed her hands trembling a little and it made him feel somewhat better about being so nervous. Once he was undressed, she started trailing kisses along his collarbone, fingers tracing the tiny x tattoo underneath the collarbone. Her kisses went lower to his firm chest.

“Lie down,” Mia whispered against his skin. Daryl nodded and fell back on the bed, sitting against the headboard. She walked over to the door and locked it, turning to smile mischievously at him over her shoulder. As she turned back around and approached the bed, she pulled her shirt off over her head, tossing it onto the pile of Daryl’s clothes on the floor. Kicking off her boots, she unbuttoned her jeans, “I want this to be a good experience for you, Daryl. You let me know if you wanna slow down.”

As Mia spoke, she pushed her jeans off her hips and slid them down her smooth legs, her jeans pooling at her feet. Daryl’s breathing got progressively heavier as he took in all of her. 

With her underwear still on, she crawled onto the bed in front of him, “You wanna help me out?”

Daryl sat up and his fingertips grazed her shoulders, going down her arms. She shivered under his touch and he couldn’t believe that she was enjoying something as simple as this coming from him. He reached around, nervously unclasping her bra. His fingers fumbled a few times and that self-doubt was starting to creep in again. How could he possibly be screwing this up? 

“Daryl, Daryl,” Mia said, lowering her voice to a whisper as she stroked his cheeks, “Relax. Everything’s okay. Just you and me.”

With her soft voice and the love in her eyes, he took a deep breath, his forehead on her shoulder as he finally unclasped her bra, tossing the pesky undergarment aside. Before he even realized he was doing it, his hands were on her breasts, gently squeezing and massaging. He felt her hands cover his and a sigh come from her lips. Was she actually enjoying this?

His fingers grazed her nipples and she let out a gasp, pushing her chest out further into his hands. A tiny moan slipped from her and she grabbed one of his hands, pulling it down until his fingers caught on the hem of her underwear. 

Daryl had an idea of what she was trying to get him to do but he hesitated once more, “I…I don’t know…how…”

“I know,” Mia murmured, her other hand stroking his hair, “I’m gonna show you.”

Daryl nodded and she kept her hand on top of his as she slid both their hands into her underwear. Daryl couldn’t take his eyes off their hands hidden underneath the blue fabric. She moved his fingers in a circular motion and he relished in her reaction even though she was helping him do it. She leaned in, her breath hot on his ear as she whispered, “Don’t stop.”

He felt her hand pull away, leaving him to do this on his own. He pressed his finger down harder as he continued going in circles. She slammed her hands down on his shoulders, letting out a small whimper. Her reaction to his touch made him more confident, a little more at ease with her. 

Mia grabbed his wrist and made him stop, pulling his hand away as she pointed to the pillows bunched up against the headboard, “Sit over there.”

Daryl nodded and scooted back while Mia hurriedly pushed her underwear down her legs, kicking them off as she crawled towards him. Her blue-green eyes were dark and hungry, her cheeks flushed and her breath heavy with a few desperate whines underneath.

“You learn fast,” Mia panted, kissing Daryl’s neck as she straddled him. Her skin was burning hot against his and he had a tight grip on her hips without even thinking about it. She made him feel so comfortable and he hadn’t even realized how much he wanted this until he was in the moment with her.

Daryl was so lost in Mia’s eyes, he didn’t feel her hands sliding down his chest and stomach until she was between his legs, gripping him firmly in her hand. Daryl grunted and planted his hands on the bed, lifting his hips slightly as Mia slowly slid her hand up and down his shaft. Daryl groaned and grabbed her wrist, surprising her enough to make her stop and look up at him with wide eyes. He already felt close to the edge and he didn’t want this to end before it could even begin.

He pulled her closer until she was hovering above him. She smiled warmly, stroking his cheeks, pushing away strands of hair that stuck to his sweaty face. She kissed the tip of his nose, taking a moment to steady her breathing.

“You can stop anytime you want,” she murmured, “You know that, right?”

Daryl nodded, his hands moving from the bed back to her hips, rubbing her thighs gently, “I know. But I don’t wanna stop. You having second thoughts?”

“Of course not,” Mia said. It was almost a relief seeing Mia move clumsily as it reassured him that he wasn’t stupid for being so overwhelmed. Her jaw dropped as she sunk down onto him. She buried her face in his neck, staying still for a few seconds to allow both of them to adjust to the sensation that was completely new to the two of them.

Finally, Mia started to move, rolling her hips as she went up and down. He tried to hold back as long as he could but he wasn’t in control of his own body. It felt like pressure was building up and he exploded, releasing quicker than he’d expected. Daryl froze, completely humiliated.

“Daryl,” Mia spoke softly.

“It’s fine,” Daryl said. He tried moving Mia off of him but she wouldn’t let him, holding his face in her hands. He couldn’t move his head away from her but he avoided making eye contact. How was she not completely annoyed right now? He didn’t last long enough for Mia to get her pleasure too. He shifted again, this time turning his head away, “I know, alright? I can’t-”

“Daryl stop, stop, stop,” Mia said, taking his hands in hers, “It’s okay. It was your first time, Daryl. It’s normal. I had my troubles too my first time.”

“Yeah, like what?” Daryl muttered.

Mia kissed his jaw, whispering against his skin, “I didn’t orgasm my first time. I didn’t feel half as good as I do right now, Daryl.”

“I made you feel good?” he said.

“Mhmm,” Mia mumbled. Daryl gasped, feeling Mia’s tongue run up the side of his neck. Her hand slid down his stomach once more, making sure his eyes followed her hand as she reached her core, exaggerating her moan just slightly, “The more we do this, the longer it’ll be, the better it’ll feel.”

Daryl felt himself coming back to life inside of her and she grinned, continuing where she left off. He couldn’t believe this woman. No matter what he did, Mia was more than willing to help him through it. She was truly the perfect woman. Was it too soon to say he loved her? Because at this point, the feelings he felt for her were brand new. It had to be more than just liking her. It had to be love he was feeling.

It was Mia’s turn to feel the pressure in her body. It was nothing she’d ever felt before but she knew what it was. She inhaled deeply, leaning her head back as she held her breath. With her eyes closed and her mouth open, a few croaks and grunts came from her as the buildup increased. Her toes curled and the ache in her core grew stronger. Her eyes shot open, flashes of white in her vision as she came, nestling her face in Daryl’s shoulder to muffle her cries.

“Daryl,” she whined, her hips moving faster as she rode out her intense climax. Her movements were making it difficult for Daryl to hold back but he had one thing he wanted to do first. He wanted to take charge of her. Or at least he wanted to try.

Daryl flipped the two of them over, his body pressed against hers as he thrust hard, sending aftershocks tearing through her body. She bit her lip, her fingers pressing into his flesh. He knew she was feeling the scars that marred his back but he didn’t care. Too focused on his pleasure, more powerful than the first time, he found himself scratching down her thighs as his thrusts became sloppy. 

Mia wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper, which made him lose complete control as he burst. He tried his hardest not to put all his weight on her as he filled her a second time. 

Neither of them could move in that moment. The room was dead silent except for their trembling breaths. Mia gently rubbed Daryl’s back as he tried soothing the red streaks on her thighs by stroking them. She’d almost forgotten about the scratches on her legs until she came down from her high and she felt the burning sensation on her thighs.

“I can’t…” she panted, “I can’t even begin to describe that.”

“Me neither,” Daryl grunted, rolling off of her. Mia shifted so she could snuggle up next to him. He considered telling her his realization of his feelings for her but she looked sleepy and he knew he wasn’t going to be awake much longer either, “You gonna stay the night?”

He felt Mia nod against his chest, “Of course. Unless you want me to go.”

“No,” Daryl retorted, wrapping his strong arms around her tiny frame, “Don’t go. Stay.”

Mia smiled, placing a final kiss on his collarbone before surrendering to her exhaustion, “Then I’ll stay, Daryl. Stay as long…as long as you want me to.”

Daryl would’ve asked her to stay forever but sleep overcame her and then took him next. Before he fell asleep, he remembered what Mia said about regretting sleeping with her ex-boyfriend the moment after it happened. He didn’t feel any regrets so far but these feelings were still so new, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He just hoped that he would wake up tomorrow morning feeling as light and content as he felt right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you guys think of this little moment? Haha! Where do you think Mia and Daryl will go from here? Leave your predictions in the comments! And as always, thank you for the love <3


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW: slight smut

The closed curtains blocked out the morning sun which allowed Daryl to sleep in later than usual. At least, that was the story he planned to go with. In reality, he slept in because he was so worn out from the night before.

But it had been more than worth it. He experienced a closeness with Mia that was amazing. He hoped it would last forever as he could never imagine being with anyone else but her at this point. Maybe he really was in love with her as he’d thought last night. Not that he’d say it to her anytime soon. His relationship with Mia was still so new. Who knew what she’d say if he told her too soon.

When Daryl woke up, he stretched, his arm landing on the other side of the bed where he expected Mia to be. But the other side of his bed was empty. He instantly sat up and looked around at the still dark room. Mia’s clothes were gone and his clothes had been picked up and folded at the foot of the bed.

Had Mia ditched him? Did Mia regret sleeping with him as she had with her ex-boyfriend? He knew he wasn’t the best but he hadn’t been the worst, had he? Mia had to give him a little bit of a pass considering she was his first? She’d seemed so understanding last night and she’d made it so much easier for him. He had never seen her as a liar. But what if she’d been lying this entire time? What if she’d made him look like a fool?

Before Daryl could tear himself apart anymore, his bedroom door opened and Mia stood there, her eyes widening when she realized he was awake. She leaned against the door, pursing her lips, “I was hoping to get back up here before you woke up. You thought I ditched you, didn’t you?”

Daryl shrugged, hanging his head, “Nah.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to freak you out,” Mia said, crawling into bed beside him, “I just wanted to surprise you. Come on, get dressed and come downstairs. Hurry, while your breakfast is still warm.”

“Breakfast?” Daryl said, “You made us breakfast?”

Mia nodded and moved his clothes from the foot of the bed to his lap, “Yep! Now come on I don’t want you to be eating cold eggs. I’ll be downstairs.”

Mia left him to get dressed and as he got out of bed to do so, he heard pots and pans banging around downstairs and sizzling soon followed. He just couldn’t get over Mia. Was it too clingy to want to be around her all the time? Was that too much? He couldn’t help himself. Being near Mia made him so happy, the happiest he’d ever been in his entire life.

He came downstairs as Mia was flipping the bacon she was trying up. She looked up at him and smiled warmly, pointing to the pan with her tongs, “Thought I’d add something extra.”

“Where’s everyone else?” Daryl asked as he sat down at the dining room table, “You kick everyone out?”

“No,” Mia replied, “Not at all. I don’t know, Rick knew I was waiting here for you yesterday. Maybe he asked everyone to stay away for a little while. Who knows.”

“You think they know?”

“Know what?”

“’Bout last night.”

Mia dropped two cooked pieces of bacon on Daryl’s plate beside his eggs as she responded, “I don’t know. It wouldn’t bother me if they did. I have no shame about what we did.”

“So, you don’t regret last night?” Daryl said. Mia set her pan down on the stove and hurried to sit down at the table with him. She sat as close as she could to him, grabbing his hand and kissing his cheek.

“Never,” Mia said. She couldn’t stop smiling as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, placing more kisses along his jaw, “As a matter of fact, I feel even closer to you. I was hoping there would be repeated performances.”

“So, that wasn’t the most terrible night?” Daryl said.

“No way,” Mia replied, “What I said last night wasn’t just to get you going again, it was the truth. I’ve never felt that good before. You think after breakfast, you could...do that again?”

Daryl smirked, “Maybe.”

“Well, I’m gonna get in the shower then,” Mia said, kissing his neck one last time before she got up from the table, “Come join me when you’re done eating?”

Daryl waited until Mia was all the way up the stairs before he started inhaling the rest of his breakfast. But once he heard the water turn on upstairs, he didn’t care to finish the rest. He had a lovely lady waiting for him.

Steam from the hot shower enveloped the two of them, making their skin slick. The wall of the shower was freezing cold against Mia’s back but she was too warm to notice, her arms wrapped around Daryl’s shoulders to keep her balance. Daryl’s wet hair clung to his face as he slicked Mia’s hair back with one hand while his free hand held her leg up. He wanted this moment to last forever, to be able to take in as much as he could, memorize every detail. The way her skin felt in his hands, the way she reacted to his movements, the look of adoration in her eyes. He couldn’t look away from those blue-green orbs. She had him wrapped around her finger and she probably didn’t even know it.

Mia’s eyelids were heavy and she threw her head back as the pleasure reached its peak and she cried out, digging her nails into Daryl’s back. Daryl groaned as he sunk his teeth into her shoulder without any thought until he noticed the deep, red mark in her skin. She gasped at the sudden pain but it quickly turned into something she enjoyed as she smiled and let out a sigh. Daryl slowly set her leg back down as he finished, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. As he rubbed her back, he kissed the bite mark on her shoulder. It would surely leave a bruise and he couldn’t believe he’d done it. She lifted his head, pushing all his wet hair back as she kissed him.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled against his lips as if she was reading his mind, “Would you think I was weird if I said I liked it?”

“I might,” Daryl teased.

“Jerk,” Mia giggled. The front door opened downstairs and Daryl froze in Mia’s arms. Mia rubbed his arms and kissed him to soothe him, “Stop, it’s alright. Whoever that was, they came in after it got a little noisy. I’ll go downstairs, you stay here for a few minutes.”

Daryl nodded and Mia quickly hopped out of the shower, drying off and putting her clothes back on. As she wrapped her wet hair up in a towel, she headed down the stairs to see Rick in the kitchen eating a piece of bacon Daryl had left on his plate.

“Morning, Rick,” Mia said, “Did you convince the others to stay away from this house all night?”

“I figured you and Daryl had a lot to talk about,” Rick explained, “Is he still sleeping?”

Mia shook her head, “He’s in the shower. I was gonna head home in a few minutes.”

“Stay as long as you want,” Rick said, “You don’t have to leave because I came home. So, I take it things worked out with Daryl since you spent the night last night.”

“Yeah, we worked it all out,” Mia said, “I’m glad we did too. He’s really special to me.”

“I’m glad too,” Rick said with a nod, “Never seen him so messed up in a long time. He must feel the same way about you, Mia. I hope you’re serious about him.”

“Of course I am,” Mia said, “I could never hurt him, Rick. Hey, I’ve gotta get home and change into clean clothes. You just tell him when he gets out of the shower that I went home and he can come by later this afternoon if he wants to.”

“Will do,” Rick said, “I’ll see you later, Mia.”

Mia was sitting in Jessie’s garage while she worked on one of her many, many sculptures. Mia sipped on her tea while Jessie tightened her ponytail, smiling down at her friend.

“Well, that happened quickly,” Jessie said, “And it’s not like your ex? You don’t regret anything?”

“Nope,” Mia said, “No regrets.”

“That’s so awesome, Mia,” Jessie said, “It’s nice to see you moving on from everything, ya know? After what happened out there with your ex, I didn’t think you’d ever let someone in again. Honestly, I thought you’d settle for Spencer.”

“No, never Spencer,” Mia chuckled, “Spencer was my friend but now he’s acting all weird because I’m with Daryl now. But I’m over it, I’m happy with Daryl.”

“That’s so awesome,” Jessie said, “And don’t worry about Spencer, Mia. You’re happy, Daryl’s happy. I’d bet you guys are meant to be together.”

“It’s too soon to tell,” Mia murmured. She hid her smile with her mug, “I don’t know who I’m kidding, Jessie. I think…ugh, no it’s too soon I shouldn’t say it.”

Jessie gasped and turned around to face Mia, “Are you saying you love him? Is that what you’re saying right now?”

“Maybe,” Mia said, “And I wish I could say it but I feel like this relationship with him is so delicate. I don’t wanna make him uncomfortable by saying something so huge so soon.”

“It’s not so bad,” Jessie said, “There is such thing as love at first sight. You should feel lucky that you’ve found it. It’s so rare nowadays to have something so special.”

“That’s true,” Mia said, “Still, I don’t wanna completely destroy something great when I’ve just barely gotten it.”

“Nope, nope, nope don’t do that to yourself,” Jessie said, “Let yourself feel that love, Mia. Who knows what could happen for the two of you, Mia. You’ve got all the time in the world to find out.”

“It does sound exciting,” Mia said. She drank the rest of her tea and set her cup down on the table, “I should get going. I’ve got some laundry to do.”

“I’ll see you,” Jessie said. As Mia walked off, Jessie said one last thing, “Don’t hold yourself back from everything you’ve ever wanted, Mia.”


End file.
